More information about Twitter's potential Super Follow feature appears to have been unearthed by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong. The basic premise behind Super Follows is that they would give content creators a way to monetize their work on Twitter and their fans a way to support them and get exclusive content. Twitter confirmed that it was exploring the possibility of adding Super Follows in February this year.
Twitter's work on Super Follows is part of a broader concerted effort it is making to evolve the platform in new ways. New features like the Birdwatch community-based misinformation initiative and a Safety mode to protect users from abuse are being added to improve the user experience, as well as others to extend its functionality, like its Spaces audio rooms. Twitter is also introducing new ways for it to generate revenue, like the Twitter Blue subscription service, along with ways for users to monetize their presence on the platform, like the new Tip Jar feature.
Super Follows would both provide a way for users to monetize their presence and extend the functionality of the platform. Ensuring that creators are supported with tools to monetize their content can help to drive up the quality and quantity of content on a platform. The images Wong has shared suggest this would very much be the case with Super Follows.
What Features Will Super Follows Have?
The images appear to be screenshots of creator-facing pages buried within the Twitter mobile app that provide information about Super Follows and show the sign-up process. The feature is described by Twitter as "Paid subscriptions for your most engaged followers" and characterized as a way to support creators looking to "build their following and earn money." Twitter reiterates that creators using Super Follows would be able to charge a monthly fee to provide subscribers with exclusive content. In addition, 'Super Followers' would get a label or badge to indicate their status. An earnings estimator gives creators a sense of what they might be able to bank each month using the feature.
In order to do so, though, the images indicate that creators would need to be at least 18 years old, have a minimum of 10,000 followers, and have posted at least 25 tweets in the last 30 days. A wide variety of categories into which creators would self-select is shown. In addition, the application process shown asks for information including other content creation platforms used, how creators intend to use Super Follows, and demographic details.
There's no reason to assume these images aren't legitimate and they give the impression of a feature that is quite far along the development process. For that reason, it seems like more of a case of when rather if Super Follows will be officially rolled out.
Source: Jane Manchun Wong/Twitter